Usman Khawaja has led a chorus of calls questioning the multiple axings of Phillip Hughes as Australian Test opener, some even maintaining the late cricketer was better than Steve Smith.

Released on Friday night, the heartfelt hour-long Cricket Australia documentary The Boy from Macksville explores the life of Hughes and his rising trajectory until his shock death in 2014.

Head here and stream free The Boy from Macksville on 7plus.

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Hughes’s family spoke publicly for the first time in years, with his sister Megan detailing how her brother’s legacy lives on in his Four 0 Eight cattle farm on the NSW north coast.

The batter’s father Greg also suggests he could have retired at age 28 to move back to the property, such was the cricketer’s passion for the farm that is still run today.

But the overarching theme remains the potential of Hughes, and the path he was on before he was struck in the neck while batting in November 2014.

“At that point in time he is the same age as Steve Smith and a couple of years younger than Dave Warner,” former teammate Ed Cowan said in the documentary.

“Who is the best cricketer of those three? Phil Hughes by far.”

In a stop-start Test career prior to his death, Hughes was dropped four times in a five-and-a-half-year period.

His first axing came just three Tests after he became the youngest player in history to score twin tons against South Africa.

“Selectors at that time were horrible,” Khawaja said in the documentary.

“Let’s be clear on that. I just could not believe they dropped him at that time. The most short-sighted thinking.

“(They’d say) ‘his technique is not up to standard’.

“What do you mean his technique is not? He has scored the most runs out of anyone in the world right now in the last year.”

Justin Langer also claims he was “incredibly disappointed” at the time, while Simon Katich labelled it as “brutal”.

Hughes regained his spot twice in 2010 and 2011, scored a century in Sri Lanka, but was dropped again four Tests later after edging off to Chris Martin in four straight innings.

“It was two Tests against New Zealand, we’ve got another four coming up against India,” Khawaja said.

“It is like: put that aside selectors. Yes one bowler had him, but just let it go. He is a future hall-of-famer.”

Hughes was dropped for a final time in the 2013 Ashes, one Test after hitting a crucial 81no alongside Ashton Agar in Cardiff.

“He was probably the one who for some reason always got dropped first,” Matt Wade said.

Cowan adds: “It just didn’t quite feel right. It’s probably the first time I’d seen him bitterly disappointed with selection.”

Hughes appeared set to earn another recall to Australia’s Test team to face India in 2014-15, before he was hit while on 63no for South Australia against NSW.

He was taken to hospital, but never recovered.

“I have a text from him on that day, and he said they won’t get me out today,” Hughes’s manager James Henderson said.

“And they didn’t.”

Hughes’ death, just days before his 26th birthday, remains one of the toughest days in Australian sport this century.

“He was still only a kid,” Wade said.

“He played enough international cricket that he knew what he needed to do.

“It was only a matter of time until he locked into a spot and he played 100 Tests.”

Hughes’s mark of 26 first-class centuries before his 26th birthday sits only second to Ricky Ponting of all Australians.

“When I watched him play for South Australia, I was just like man this guy is so good,” Khawaja said.

“I put him above Steve Smith at the time, this guy was the pinnacle.

“He was ready to thrive. Just before he passed away, Phillip Hughes was on an absolute heater.”

Seven’s Mel McLaughlin speaks to Darren Lehmann about Phil Hughes

Lehmann: No, it’s gone quickly. Obviously, texts were flying around in the last week or so from all the people that were around at that time and just checking in everyone is OK, but 10 years, that’s gone quick. It was a sad day for obviously the Hughes family more than anyone else, but then obviously everyone involved in the game of cricket. We lost an absolute ripper of a young man. You think about him every day, and 10 years has flown past.

MM: What made him so universally loved?

Lehmann: It was his good country boy upbringing and typical Aussie the way he went about things, always so positive about the game – his cows, his farm, his country life, his, mum his dad, his brother, his sister, the game of cricket. He got up every morning with a smile on his face, whether he was playing or wasn’t playing.

MM: What could he have become?

Lehmann: He would have played over 100 test matches. That’s an easy way to describe him. Superstar. He was evolving his game to be particularly a superstar of the game. Yeah, and he could do things other people couldn’t do with the willow in hand and he was refining his game to be blossoming to this second coming of a superstar cricketer when his life was cut short. I have no qualms in saying he would have been a 100 test match player plus, Hall of Famer in the future, and destroyed attacks and he just would have got better and better as the years went on.

MM: And you were about to give him some good news, weren’t you?

Lehmann: Yeah, he was about to play. We had Michael Clarke with a hamstring and Chris Rogers with selection, so he was definitely going to play that Test match.

MM: What did everyone have to do to get this team through and to play cricket at that time?

Lehmann: As coach, you are sort of trying to guide young men into how to deal with grief. I must give credit to Cricket Australia and all the associations around Australia, helping the players out, on and off the field, with help behind the scenes. They were fantastic. That was part of the reason we could get together after the funeral and actually try and prep guys to play the game. But up until the toss of the coin, I wasn’t sure whether we would have all the blokes playing. We knew there was a bit going on mentally for people, and none more so than the family. They are dealing with the loss of a son and brother. They are the ones you feel for the most. Our guys were trying to put one foot in front of the other, day after day, and try and bowl a ball again, bowl a bouncer, hit a cricket ball. They have lost one of their great mates. For them, it was hard. You just talk through it every day. There were lots of tears. I just remember blokes crying most days of the test match we played. It was a sign of grief and emotion coming out for players. We had a shrine set up for Phillip with his cap. As a coach, you try and lead the best you possibly can and you’re going to make mistakes along the way, but we just talked a lot, cried a lot and moved on.